Love affair with technology. Is love blind?

Technology is a blessing and a curse. We humans are enthralled, entertained and have become very dependent on our beloved technology. This is true even as it has replaced some jobs and has made privacy a thing of the past. Outsourcing and automation have been a one-two punch on the working class in America. Why should an American company pay its workers a decent minimum wage when they feel that they can pay someone in the Philippines 75 cents an hour, $1.50 an hour overtime? This trend will go on for as long as we continue to value money over people.

Sure, technology has facilitated the digital age which has made our lives more convenient and enjoyable but there’s a flip side to this coin of convenience. Well, it’s not so much a coin as much as it is a double-edged sword. Modern conveniences and social engagements aside, gizmos and gadgets have helped to create a society with technological traps that are Orwellian in nature. It may have bridged the gap between borders, but what else has it done? Cops have become “thought police” where if you even think about committing a crime you must be guilty of it. The defenders of the status quo are tough on “thought crimes.” How can these buffoons in uniform defend the constitution when they don’t even know it?

Big Brother has become an 800-pound gorilla. Governments are now more powerful than they ever have been because they can spy on us effortlessly. George Orwell must be turning over in his grave. Somewhere he’s laughing at us and saying, “I told ya so, suckers!”